Springfield is steeped in tradition and heritage. Our illustrious past has given birth to a wide selection of events and attractions which are yours to visit and long remember! Washington County, the first Kentucky county formed after Kentucky became a state in 1792, was named for President George Washington. Here you will find a county steeped in tradition. Even before the revolution, pioneers discovered Washington County. Settlers followed the Wilderness Trace to Sandusky's and Cartwright's Stations and the lands along the Beech Fork. Our past has given birth to a tradition of events and attractions which are yours to visit and long remember. Visit the Springfield-Washington County Courthouse on Main Street, completed in 1816. the archives located in the basement contain records dating from 1792, the most important of which is the marriage certificate of President Abraham Lincoln's parents, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. The courthouse is the oldest still in use in Kentucky and will provide genealogical buffs with hours of enjoyment. Those interested in Lincoln history will find Springfield a great place to begin their journey of the Lincoln Heritage Trail. President Lincoln's grandfather, Abraham Sr., brought his family to the Beech Fork area of Washington County in 1782. Residents enjoy the many stories and legends passed down from generation to generation relative to the Lincoln's settlement in Washington County. At Lincoln Homestead State Park you can go walking on a cool morning with early mist still clinging to the paths walked by Lincoln. This storehouse of Lincoln lore stretched out over 120 acres holds a reproduction of the cabin that was the boyhood home of Thomas Lincoln; and several other memorials and reproductions of the Lincoln heritage. Just 4 miles from Springfield is the Mordecai Lincoln Home. Built by Mordecai Lincoln, an uncle of the President, in 1797, it is the only remaining residence to have been owned and occupied by a member of the president's family that is still standing and on its original site. Washington County is home to some of the oldest Catholic educational institutions west of the Alleghenies. St. Rose Priory, founded in 1806, was the first Catholic educational institution west of the Alleghenies. Among its students was Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. Near the Priory is St. Catharine's. Established in 1822, it is the first community of the Dominican Sisters in the U.S. It is today the Mother Community of the Order and the home of the St. Catharine College.